G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Team G.I. Joe is not only fighting for their lives they are fighting for their very existence. Framed for crimes against the country, they are forced to disband by Presidential order. The surviving team members face off against Zartan, Cobra, and the world leaders he has under his influence!

For more about G.I. Joe: Retaliation and the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Blu-ray release, see G.I. Joe: Retaliation Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on July 14, 2013 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.5 out of 5.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Blu-ray Review

Perfect popcorn fun.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is an odd sort of sequel, a movie that's a chronologically in-order followup to the 2009 film but also a fairly unique, individualistic picture that's replaced several
actors and removed a whole lot of characters from the flimsy script written by Rise of Cobra. Retaliation is a film with its own identity
but not its own purpose, a movie that ties up the
story from the last film but in many ways feels like about half a franchise reboot, except, of course, in the one area that counts most: action.
Retaliation, for all its
new names and faces, kicks up the style, pumps up the action, and delivers a shamelessly entertaining tale of good versus evil in a movie that
rarely slows to catch its breath or build up its characters as they bring down the house. Plenty of stuff explodes, countless rounds are fired, and lots of
marital arts action fills in the gaps when the guns take a breather. It's not special, significant, or really memorable moviemaking, but
Retaliation will satisfy that Action-hungry swath of fans while getting back to a more core-friendly Joe experience. Oh, and power
suits are definitely not included.

Man of action.

***Spoilers for the previous film appear below***

Though Cobra Commander and Destro are imprisoned and out of the picture, Cobra remains a global threat with master of disguise Zartan (Arnold
Vosloo) posing as the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce). Zartan's goal as President: a nuclear weapons-free world, not for the
betterment
of mankind but so that Cobra may, without fear of massive retaliation, dominate the planet with its advanced satellite-based weaponry called
"Zeus." Zartan, as President, frames the G.I. Joe team for the theft of Pakistani nuclear weapons and the murder of that nation's President, an
event he uses to set
off his global disarmament initiative. He disavows the Joes
and sends a strike team to eliminate the group. Now, only a few Joes remain, including Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), Lady Jaye
(Adrianne Palicki), and Snake Eyes (Ray Park). They must covertly reveal the truth within the White House before Cobra can dominate the world
once and for all.

Retaliation moves away from an excess amount of gimmick and lame-brained humor and instead creates something much closer to what
hardened, longtime G.I. Joe fans probably wanted from the first movie: a big, roaring behemoth of an Action flick that's huge in scope and expends
an
excess of ammunition and pyrotechnics with plenty of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow bladed and high-flying intimate combat playing out along the
way. In other words, it's a humongous popcorn movie that's everything a popcorn movie should be. It's not deeply rooted in human emotions, it
doesn't explore the human condition, it's not profound, and it won't create a lasting legacy of dramatic excellence. Instead, it's a superficially
complex
but fundamentally simple story of muscled and good-looking heroes with big guns battling evildoers determined to rule the world. It's G.I. Joe
"fighting
for freedom wherever there's trouble," and there's no shortage of trouble in Retaliation. Director Jon M. Chu, in the tradition of the greatest
of
the straightforward Action movie directors like Roland Emmerich, uses the camera as a playground to explore the scope and intensity of G.I. Joe
come to life, and the end result is a movie much more fundamentally satisfying than the first.

Though the action supersedes pretty much everything in a G.I. Joe film, the supporting elements and intangibles do make or break it; those
things harmed the previous film -- too much lame humor, too much of a drift from core beyond character names, and shabby character camaraderie
-- but they only make Retaliation a better film, complimenting the story and action and pacing rather than hindering them or, worse, feeling
like a detached element from them. Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson -- the latter of whom proves an invaluable addition to the franchise --
find a natural, believable, friendly chemistry that, beyond the mayhem
and plot basics, is the film's best asset. However, Retaliation largely ignores its secondary characters; Jinx and especially Flint rarely elevate
to anything beyond two
faces, while Lady Jaye offers little more than sex appeal and a rather flat story arc with a "haunted past" she hopes will be resolved by film's end.
The villains, too, are bland (beyond Zartan and Storm Shadow)
and work only as foils for the heroes and a reason to set off all of the explosions. Ultimately -- no matter what the characters do, how they look, or
who's gone and who's back and who's new -- this is a film about expectations. Audiences going in
hoping for deep character studies or profound drama will leave disappointed, but like the best of Emmerich the film will satisfy core Action
enthusiasts just looking for the next big spectacle. It'll also wash away much of the bad taste left behind from the last picture as a more faithful G.I.
Joe adaptation without all the added bells and whistles that weighted down Stephen Sommers' fun, though very far from perfect, film.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation's high definition transfer dazzles. The picture looks amazing in nearly every scene. It's naturally sharp and infinitely clear.
Details are incredible, particularly close-ups that reveal every bead of sweat and blood, each strand of facial hair, and all facial lines and pores.
Additionally,
the transfer captures with flawless accuracy intimate clothing textures and especially complex military gear webbing and stitching. Sandy terrains,
industrial interiors, rocky landscapes, and all variety of locations also fall in-line with the tremendous detailing. Colors are vibrant and pleasing. There's a
warmth to much of the image that's carried over into flesh tones that often take on a rather heavy orange tint, but such seems filmmaker intent.
Vibrant greens, brilliant Cobra logo reds, and less pronounced by highly accurate tan, green, and brown military shades look tremendous. Blacks are
deep in every scene, never going bright or crushing out scene details. There's no banding, artificial sharpening, or other unwanted qualities. Light grain
puts the finishing touches on a perfect transfer in every area.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation explodes onto Blu-ray with a tremendous Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Paramount's latest sound presentation is
one of the most dynamic and enjoyable available today. Right from the Paramount logo the track positively dazzles, revealing exceptional clarity within a
full, wide soundstage. Surround support is immediate and natural, while bass is big but balanced. Those elements define the entire experience. Action
scenes explode with a large array of elements, from cracking gunfire erupting all over the stage to heavy, thumping explosions that push the low end to
its limits. Aircraft zip around the stage and heavy ground vehicles rumble all over. The sense of chaos completely surrounds the listener and every
action scene in the film proves completely worthy of demonstration showroom floors. Yet the track doesn't just excel at its most exciting. Minimalist
elements, small supporting sound pieces, and environmental touches help bring the track to life, again by making use of a very big stage and the track's
pinpoint placement and clarity. Musical delivery is robust but smooth, sounding very big and satisfying with full seven-channel implementation and a
quality bass element. Dialogue comes through evenly and clearly from the center. This is a fun, reference-quality track from the first second to the last.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation features commentary, deleted scenes, and plenty of featurettes. A pre-menu screen allows users to choose either a Joe
or Cobra theme.

Audio Commentary: Director John M. Chu and Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura deliver a good, balanced track in which they cover the
film's tone, real-world plausibility of plot devices, sets and shooting locales, crafting the action scenes, the cast, and plenty more. The track doesn't
break new ground but it does offer fans a solid behind-the-scenes glimpse into the film.

G.I. Joe: Declassified: Mission Briefing (HD, 10:02): A look at the qualities Director Jon M. Chu brought to the film, the stylistic changes
made from the first film, shooting in New Orleans, and character and vehicle design.

If lots of explosions, an endless string of gunfire, and plenty of marital arts action sounds even the least bit palatable, check out G.I. Joe:
Retaliation. It's the zenith of polished, action-packed modern shoot-em-up marvels. Better, it's a superior film to the previous installment in every
area. Better characterization, a good story, and a more faithful adaptation of classic G.I. Joe makes it a runaway success within its natural
confines. It won't leave its audiences pondering the meaning of life, but it's rock-solid escapism at its finest. Paramount's 2D Blu-ray release of G.I.
Joe: Retaliation features reference-quality picture and sound. A nice selection of extra content is included. Highly recommended.

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Paramount Home Media Distribution has officially announced and detailed its upcoming Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D releases of director Jon M. Chu's G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), starring Dwayne Johnson, Byung-hun Lee, and Adrianne Palicki. The two releases will be available ...

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